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Few surviving American brands have the status, history and collectability of Cadillac. In the 20th and 21st centuries, Cadillac has had a number of significant and trend-setting concept cars. Nine of those cars will be show at this year’s Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance in March. We take a look at some of cars that will be shown at the Concours, as well as two more recent models that were significant in their own right.

The 1949 Fleetwood Coupe deVille prototype, two 1953 LeMans Roadsters, 1953 El Dorado Special, 1956 Eldorado Brougham Town Car, 1959 Cyclone Concept, and 1961 El Dorado Chicago Auto Show car will all be shown. Two more recent examples of Cadillac concepts that will be at the Concours are the 2002 Cien concept, and the larger-than-life, 13.6-liter 1000-hp Sixteen concept. The Cyclone concept in particular is significant for its use of sliding doors, decades before their use became widespread on the humble minivan.

Cadillac has long used the motto “standard of the world” but few people are aware of the term’s origins. The term was bestowed on the brand in 1909 by the Royal Automobile Club when three cars won the RAC’s Dewer Trophy. The cars were driven from London to the Brooklands race track, disassembled, re-assembled, and driven for 500 miles without incident. The exercise was a demonstration of the engineering excellence of the cars.

Two concept models that will not be at the Amelia Island Concours, but could be significant indications of the future of the brand were the 2010 Urban Luxury Concept, indicating what a sub-compact city car Cadillac could look like, and the stunning 2011 Ciel Concept, a dramatically-styled fullsize sedan that could be an indication of the styling of a future Cadillac flagship. But unlike the monstruous, 700+ cubic inch mill in the Sixteen, the Ciel featured a twin-turbocharged 3.6-liter V-6, providing much more sensible and economical, but still powerful motivation.